Smith scored a game-high 24 points with seven rebounds and five assists, pumping in 18 of his points in the second half. He was 7 of 7 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter as St. John's chipped the lead down to five at one point.
The senior guard, who hold offers from Arkansas, Duke, Georgetown, Indiana,
Kentucky and Syracuse among others, was masterful one night after bailing out Paul VI
(25-2) in a 72-64 overtime win over Bishop Ireton. He had four rebounds and three assists after intermission with all three dimes finding sophomore
Ryan Bahr for a pair of dunks and an easy lay-in.
Jordan Smith had a game-high 24 points as No. 1 Paul VI held off St. John's 70-64 in the MaxPreps Game of the Week. The Panthers got seven fourth-quarter free throws from Smith to help hold off their WCAC rival. (PHOTO: David Custer)
The Panthers opened up a 33-17 halftime lead with a smothering defense and instant offense from
Brian Mitchell Jr., who scored 11 early before taking a fall on a hard foul and being limited in the second half. Paul VI forced seven first-half turnovers.
But St. John's (19-8) refused to pack it in and staged a rally over the final 16 minutes that saw the Cadets chip away at the lead. They got it to single digits early in the fourth and whittled it to a two-possession game as
Kareem Smith-Bey hit a corner 3-pointer with a minute remaining.
But Paul VI hit 13 of 15 from the charity stripe in the final period to hold off their conference foe. In addition to Smith's 24 points, Bahr had 15 points and Mitchell finished with 11. Paul VI hosts
St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.) on Friday.
The contest was the fourth and final installment of the MaxPreps Game of the Week for the 2026 season.
